Smiling at the simple things

When you make a big life change like relocating to a new country/city/way of life, it can be so easy to get lost and swallowed up in the chaos of the 'big picture', that the small, simple things that make life beautiful can get easily lost.

I made this mistake last week; I felt homesick and frustrated - nothing was working, everything felt complicated and I was in social situations where I couldn't say anything because my knowledge of Italian is pretty basic. There were a few occasions I just wanted a flight back home.

I'd always been an advocate of the 'simple things' in life when I was in the UK, so why not here? I decided to take a step back from the big picture, and focus on the small, simple things that I love about living in Italy and more precisely, Rome.

• I can be at the Coliseum in 20 minutes - walking past it always gives me a great sense of comfort and awe
• I love the sunburnt colour of the buildings in Rome; whenever I come back from time in the country with the boy, its seeing these umber buildings that tell me I'm home in my city
• The smell of the flowers in the garden of my apartment, specifically the orange blossom on the tree next to my living room windows...it's become one of my most favourite scents
• Spending yesterday eating and drinking with friends under a vine-covered pagoda in the Roman countryside
• The huge, marble steps that lead to my equally huge front door of my little palace here in the city
• Seeing how happy Harry and Boo are here

So, at times when it feels like the big picture is going to chew you up and spit you out, look around at the small, simple things that make life so beautiful.

Ciao for now,

Nina x